Saturdays in Athens
George Somerville.
“week t-2”
14th august 2021
Welcome to our weekly round up of life in the Southeastern Conference.
In the last couple of weeks I brought you the best of SEC Media Days. What this told us, amongst many things, was that we were getting close to the start of the new SEC season.
With fall camps open, coaches and players are back in practice – meaning there is a lot to talk about.
In this week’s SIA we hear Nick Saban’s thoughts on the legacy of Coach Bobby Bowden, disaster strikes in Baton Rouge, Scott Cochran leaves the UGA Campus, The Commish extends his SEC stay, and Ole Miss gets the jab…
So buckle up y’all! Here are this week’s headlines:
Saban's Tribute To Bobby Bowden
Tuscaloosa, AL.
This week brought us sad news that former Florida State Head Coach Bobby Bowden had passed away following a short illness.
It is no exaggeration to say that Coach Bowden leaves a huge legacy behind on the college game, and is rightly credited with being one of the greatest college football coaches that the game has seen.
This was recognised by coaches across America as tributes poured in for a man who built the Florida State Seminoles into a Southern powerhouse and a National Championship winning side.
During Sunday’s post practice media availability, Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban talked about the impact Coach Bowden had on his coaching career:
“Bobby Bowden was a wonderful friend whose accomplishments as a coach are only surpassed by the character and class he displayed as a husband, father, mentor, and friend. His passing is a loss for everyone but should be seen as a chance to celebrate a life remarkably well lived. Sometimes it’s not what you do, but who you are that is truly important, and no one embodies that more than Bobby Bowden.
His influence on the countless young men he led in over 60 years of coaching can never be measured. His achievements as a coach are well documented and among the greatest the game has ever known, but when I think about coach, it’s about the man he was and the impact he had on everyone he encountered I probably understood that impact even earlier than the rest of college football.”
Saban is more than aware of the legacy that Coach Bowden left on the game. Bowden led his Florida State Seminoles to 14 consecutive top 5 AP finishes and from 1987 to 2000 had at least 10 wins in each of these seasons. And of course he won National Championships with the Noles in 1993 and 1999.
On the College Chaps’ Podcast this week, we spoke to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg who reflected on Bowden’s legacy:
“I don’t know if there is a coach who’s influenced the current generation of coaches more than Bobby Bowden. If you asked them who they respected the most or who they watched the most a lot of them would say Bobby Bowden because of how he won, the way he conducted himself.
I really don’t know if there was one person who touched as many different coaches of different ages and different backgrounds that are now in Head Coaching roles as Bobby Bowden at Florida State”.
“A lot of coaches have won but it was the way he went about the job and the type of person that he was that really connected with people”.
You can hear the full podcast with Adam Rittenberg here:
#GoNoles #RollTide
Brennan Out!
Baton Rouge, LA.
No sooner had LSU Head Coach Ed Orgeron declared that he had two National Championship caliber Quarterbacks on his roster, than Lady Luck responded “not so fast my friend”….
For a program desperately needing all the positivity it can get, news that Quarterback Myles Brennan had broken his arm in a freak fishing accident, must have had Orgeron questioning his sanity. And it ain’t even Labor Day yet.
Brennan’s injury, which occurred when he tripped over some fishing tackle, resulted in a compound fracture to his humorous. The only silver lining being that the injury occurred in his non throwing arm. However, Brennan is still expected to be out for most of the season, which must be hard to take for the young QB who also missed part of last season through injury.
Orgeron immediately named Max Johnson as his starter.
Tough “break” for Brennan and LSU.
#GeauxTigers
Cochran Out
Athens, GA.
On Sunday, Seth Emerson of the Athletic reported that UGA Special Teams Co-ordinator Scott Cochran was no longer with the team. With few details available, wide speculation quickly surrounded Cochran’s absence.
By Sunday evening, Georgia Head Coach, Kirby Smart had confirmed and clarified that Cochran was not on campus, saying via statement,
“Coach Cochran is currently dealing with health issues and is taking time to prioritise his mental health and well being”,
The statement went on to say that,
“We fully support him as he takes this time to focus on his wellbeing”.
At the time of writing, no further detail is available on how Smart will fill the role on Special Teams, although there is widespread belief amongst the Athens beat writers that Will Muschamp may step into this role. Muschamp currently holds a Special Advisory/ Defensive Analyst role at UGA.
Cochrane joined UGA in 2020 as Special Teams Co-ordinator following 13 years as Alabama’s Head of Strength & Conditioning.
#How’BoutThemDawgs
An Offer You Can't refuse
Birmingham, AL.
After a season where the SEC successfully navigated the Covid-19 pandemic, patted itself magnanimously on its collective back during #SECMD21 and then audaciously welcomed the Universities of Texas and Oklahoma into the SEC stable, you got the sense that SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey was riding the crest of a wave.
So it was no real surprise to hear that Sankey had signed a contract extension that will see him heading the Good Ship SEC until 2026.
In what was akin to a scene from the Godfather, each Head Coach during SEC Media Days took it in turn to thank the Commissioner for guiding them through the 2020 season. Clearly Sankey has the respect of the other Dons. And his crowning glory was the signing of the 10 year TV deal with Disney, allowing ABC and ESPN exclusive coverage of the Conference.
Don Sankey said of his extension,
“I am grateful for the support of the SEC’s presidents and chancellors, and for the continuing opportunity to serve our universities while supporting the student-athletes of the Southeastern Conference,
We are in the midst of a time of change for college athletics, and I look forward to working with the SEC’s campus leaders to identify a path forward that will sustain the incredible success of our Conference and provide opportunities for young people to grow academically and challenge themselves athletically.”
#ItJustMeansMore
Ole Miss = 100%
Oxford, MS.
As we know, to vaccinate or not to vaccinate continues to be a great debate. And nowhere more than in the South.
The state of Mississippi has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the US. So it is to the credit of Lane Kiffin, his coaches and the Ole Miss administration that this week they announced that the football team had a 100% vaccination rate.
While Alabama had proudly proclaimed a vaccination rate across the football program of 95%+, other schools lag behind. Some SEC schools are still in the 50-60% range.
In order to opt out of COVID-19 testing protocols this season, the SEC requires teams to reach an 85% vaccination threshold.
So bravo, Kiffin & Co. Bravo.
#HottyToddy #ComeToTheSip
GEORGE SOMERVILLE
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WRITER
A GLASWEGIAN LIVING IN LONDON, GEORGE IS A COLLEGE FOOTBALL FAN WHO FOLLOWS THE ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE. HE PROVIDES CFB CONTENT FOR THE TOUCHDOWN AND IS ONE THIRD OF THE COLLEGE CHAPS PODCAST.